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What is a Fad Diet?

If you’re an American adult who’s tried to lose weight in the last 30 years, there’s a better than good chance you’ve heard of something called a “fad diet”.

Fad diets are diets that get very popular very quickly across large swaths of society. They do this by promising desirable health results (“more energy”, “weight loss”, “lean-muscle growth”, etc.) in a short period of time. Many of these fad diets are “characterized by highly restrictive or unusual food choices” and feature celebrity endorsements that contribute to their meteoric rise in popularity.

What makes fad diets so appealing?

More than anything, fad diets appeal to basic human psychology: The promise desirable results (improved health) for minimal effort. Everyone naturally wants to look and feel “healthier”, but few people want to spend their free hours exercising or practice disciplined dietary habits. In theory, fad diets deliver all the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle and well-rounded diet, without requiring the dieter to invest “extra effort”.

Do fad diets work?

In the short-term?—maybe.

In the long-term?—no.

Those who invest their time and money in fad diets may initially experience improved health and wellness , but those improvements are generally lost within a period of 5 years in over 90% of cases. The unpleasant truth is most fad diets are marketed or described with exaggerated claims, not sustainable in sound science.

Should you invest in a fad diet?

The honest answer? No. You should not.

Fad diets like the Paleo Diet, the Atkins Diet, and the Volumetric Diet are incredibly hard to maintain over time. Moreover, certain fad diets come with drawbacks and dangers that place the dieter’s heath at risk because they fail to meet basic nutritional requirements or daily caloric intake minimums.

What should you do if you want to lose weight?

If losing weight is one of your goals, its best to invest your time, your energy, and your money in weight loss methods that are rooted in—and backed by—medical research.